GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators @ Toronto Maple Leafs - 7:00pm ET - Mon. Dec. 14th, 2009

The Ottawa Senators (16-11-4, 36 points, 3rd in the Northeast) hit the road, again, to visit the suddenly surging Toronto Maple Leafs (11-14-7, 29 points, last in the Northeast) on Monday night. The Sens are coming off a 4-2 win at home vs Carolina on Saturday night that saw Kovalev pot a hat trick and Spezza tally his 4th of the season. Hopefully this is a sign that chemistry is starting to take hold with those guys. The Leafs are starting to play some real hockey and are 7-3 in their last 10. Toskala has been giving them some solid goal tending and Komisarek is back on the blue line. Stajan and Kessel are providing the offense of late while Schenn was a healthy scratch last game for the firt time this season. This is an entirely different Leafs team than the one that started the season. Momentum and confidence have them playing much improved hockey. This will be a good test for the Sens and perhaps a good renewal of The Battle of Ontario.

Game Coverage:
- TV: SNET-E (HD), SNET-O (HD)
- Radio: Team 1200
- Web: check http://www.atdhe.net and http://www.justin.tv

Latest Updates:
- Clouston: Elliott starts and no line-up changes from last game for the Sens.
- Luke Schenn will be a healthy scratch for the 2nd game in a row as per Ron Wilson
- Game notes for tonight: http://senators.nhl.com/v2/ext/PDFs/091214_Ott-vs-Tor.pdf

Team Lineups:
Ottawa Senators: http://www.dailyfaceoff.com/team-lineups/ottawa-senators-team-lineup
Toronto Maple Leafs: http://www.dailyfaceoff.com/team-lineups/toronto-maple-leafs-team-lineup

TSN's Ice Chips:

Source: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11009

Ottawa Senators:

Projected lines vs the Maple Leafs:

Forwards:
Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev
Ruutu-Kelly-Cheechoo
Regin-Winchester-Shannon

Defencemen:
Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Karlsson
Picard - Carkner

Goaltenders:
Elliott
Brodeur

Healthy scratches:
- Campoli

Injuries:
- Donovan (knee, on IR, out indefinitely)
- Leclaire (broken jaw, expected to miss 4 weeks)
- Neil (knee, out indefinitely)

Toronto Maple Leafs:

After practice on Sunday, head coach Ron Wilson said he hadn't decided yet if D Luke Schenn will play on Monday against Ottawa. Schenn was a healthy scratch on Saturday against Washington. - TSN

Projected lines vs the Sens (based on last game):

Forwards:
Ponikarovsky - Stajan - Kessel
Blake - Grabovski - Hagman
Kulemin - Primeau - Stempniak
Mayers - Wallin - Orr

Defencemen:
Kaberle - Komisarek
Beauchemin - White
Exelby - Finger

Goaltenders:
Toskala
Macdonald

Healthy scratches:
- Schenn

Injuries:
- Mike Van Ryn (left knee surgery, on IR, out for season)
- John Mitchell (knee, on IR, out indefinitely)
- Carl Gunnarsson (hyperextended elbow, on IR, expected to miss 6 weeks)
- Jonas Gustavsson (elevated heart rate, expected to miss two weeks)

Game Day Previews:

OttawaSenators.com Game Day Preview:

Source: http://senators.nhl.com/club/preview.htm?id=2009020481

NHL.com Game Day Preview:

Source: http://www.nhl.com/ice/preview.htm?id=2009020481

Sportsnet.ca Game Day Preview:

Source: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/scores/20091214/Ott@Tor/story

ESPN Game Day Preview:

Source: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/preview?gameId=291214021

ESPN Stats Comparison:



Media Links:
- Clouston post-practice presser from Monday: http://senators.nhl.com/v2/ext/Audio/091214_Clouston.mp3
- Clouston post-workout presser from Sunday: http://bit.ly/7MvLYe
- Clouston post-game presser from Saturday night: http://bit.ly/5rrlD0
- Mike Fisher carrying the Olympic Torch: http://senators.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=769&id=54149
- SensTV On-line: http://senators.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp
- Official Twitter of the Ottawa Senators: http://twitter.com/NHL_Sens

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GO SENS GO!!!

BoO is back on! This one is going to be good. Problem is I'll be out -- kids will be carolling. 'Tis the season and all. Goodwill toward man, unless of course he's wearing white and blue.

PLease tell me Kovalev and Spezza aren't back on tyhe same line.

Kovalev should never be taken off the PP. Pretty much literally - cut down his even strength time and prop up his PP numbers. I said that I thought he could handle more PK time as well because he intimates the other team and plays amazing keep away.

So, perhaps we found the use for Kovalev if used properly. Clouston - use him more on the PP man, go nuts!

wprager wrote:BoO is back on! This one is going to be good. Problem is I'll be out -- kids will be carolling. 'Tis the season and all. Goodwill toward man, unless of course he's wearing white and blue.

Carolling? People still do that?

I haven't even started exams and these kids are carolling

schenn a ealthy scratch again? so has all the love for this young player gone in the head office? i also find it funny finger is patroling the 3rd pairing at a 4 million dollar price tag!

kovy is a PP specialist. that's how he scored most of his goals in MTL. get ruttuu to draw more penalties and you'll see more points out of him... he's on pace for 19 goals, not too far from the 20-25 i predicted, especially for the fact that allhis goals will come in the second part of the season.

SpezDispenser wrote:Kovalev should never be taken off the PP. Pretty much literally - cut down his even strength time and prop up his PP numbers. I said that I thought he could handle more PK time as well because he intimates the other team and plays amazing keep away.

So, perhaps we found the use for Kovalev if used properly. Clouston - use him more on the PP man, go nuts!

Did you mean he intimidates the other team or that he does something that could be construed as intimate with them?

hemlock wrote:

wprager wrote:BoO is back on! This one is going to be good. Problem is I'll be out -- kids will be carolling. 'Tis the season and all. Goodwill toward man, unless of course he's wearing white and blue.

Carolling? People still do that?

Yeah, and figgy pudding!

Gohan wrote:I haven't even started exams and these kids are carolling

At least we're not doing it on your lawn. They'll be at the Barrhaven Walmart at 7:30. Drop by and drop some cash in the Sally Ann kettle. Who knows, if they have a spare instrument maybe I'll come out of retirement and join the band for a few tunes.

Karlsson and Kovalev on the PP could be the beginning of some awesomeness.

wprager wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Kovalev should never be taken off the PP. Pretty much literally - cut down his even strength time and prop up his PP numbers. I said that I thought he could handle more PK time as well because he intimates the other team and plays amazing keep away.

So, perhaps we found the use for Kovalev if used properly. Clouston - use him more on the PP man, go nuts!

Did you mean he intimidates the other team or that he does something that could be construed as intimate with them?

No, his presence suggests the opposition.

marakh wrote:PLease tell me Kovalev and Spezza aren't back on tyhe same line.

My bad... left over from previous GDT... fixed now to reflect that last set of lines from last game.

Flo The Action wrote:schenn a ealthy scratch again? so has all the love for this young player gone in the head office? i also find it funny finger is patroling the 3rd pairing at a 4 million dollar price tag!

kovy is a PP specialist. that's how he scored most of his goals in MTL. get ruttuu to draw more penalties and you'll see more points out of him... he's on pace for 19 goals, not too far from the 20-25 i predicted, especially for the fact that allhis goals will come in the second part of the season.

It will be interesting to see if Schenn is a healthy scratch again... they had a big win with him out of the lineup so who knows...

asq2 wrote:

wprager wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Kovalev should never be taken off the PP. Pretty much literally - cut down his even strength time and prop up his PP numbers. I said that I thought he could handle more PK time as well because he intimates the other team and plays amazing keep away.

So, perhaps we found the use for Kovalev if used properly. Clouston - use him more on the PP man, go nuts!

Did you mean he intimidates the other team or that he does something that could be construed as intimate with them?

No, his presence suggests the opposition.

Gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up